Reflection: 2/11/11

Reflection
Continuing on from last class, we continued on the Health and Social Education film. We finished the script and started working on the storyboard.
What have I learned?
This is my first time being in a film course, which means that I learned quite a bit following the classes about film. Today in particular, I learned how in film the script specifically reflects onto the storyboard in the way that the latter is derived from the former. Using the script, a storyboard was formed by a series of photographed images depicting the scene and various camera angles, which will obviously be included in the actual film itself. I also learned that while in other courses, we used simple drawings, in film, the most efficient method of getting a representation of the envisioned film is through the direct photography of a single frame representing a segment per change in the film, following the script as a frame of reference. In regards to the writing of the script, I learned that unlike the story based drama, film is more in the moment. While drama is the performance of a story, film is a capturing of the story which means only the present matters, which means that instead of creating a background for the 'story', the film script leads on from directly what happens before and after.
Were there any problems? How were they solved?
There wasn't many problems in regards with the script writing , as it was simply a continuation of the understanding from last class which means that all we needed to do was lead on and follow the format provided. The real problem came with the storyboard photography. In order to visualize the vision of the film through photographed representative frames, one must, in addition, take into account camera angles that allow everything to be clearly seen, the location and action which must compliment the script itself in the way that it provides a reasonable estimate of the what the scene should look like. This means we couldn't just film anywhere, we had to film somewhere that closely resembled the scene, which was an initial problem since the places with household-like items like a sofa were occupied by other classes. This led us to conclude that the outdoors were the only option which were not akin to the script, so we eventually decided on the library which was open. In regards to actual photography, we had to take into account unforeseen circumstances that were not ideal to film or photograph such as coming out of the room, so we stripped off some of these parts. Also, ensured that the camera angles, images shown, action, and setting were aligned with said script, creating a successive series of images that accurately depicted the scene.
Evaluation
How can I improve my knowledge and skills?
Following this session, I learned how to create storyboard's images. However, I felt that they were a bit mediocre because they were only average and not so inclusive of the various professional aspects that should be taken into account. In order to better this aspect of my learning, I need to in essence research this by looking up model photos as well as film shots within films similar to the conditions of our script. Using the IB learner profile in the previous post, I can use the aspects of the film of inspiration and include these things into my own thereby creating an inspired, model and improved storyboard and film.
How successful was the workshop today and why?
I feel that today's lesson was highly successful. Because of our efficient collaborative efforts and brainstorming in the previous class, we had laid the groundwork for the next parts pretty well, which means we were suitably adapted to today. We efficiently finished our short script, and proceeded to quickly storyboard out script through photography. These images were easily uploaded and distributed to each team member. Following this succession, the groundwork for next class was well set. In order to portray this success, if one takes a look at the other groups in the class, one would find several of them still arguing over the idea and script they were still writing, which relative to us was quite slow and behind because were already in the next stage, already ready to move onto the next stage for the next class.